Socioeconomic Associations with ADHD: Findings from a Mediation Analysis.

<h4>Background</h4>Children from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are at greater risk of a range of negative outcomes throughout their life course than their peers; however the specific mechanisms by which socioeconomic status relates to different health outcomes in childhood are...

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Main Authors: Abigail Emma Russell, Tamsin Ford, Ginny Russell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2015-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0128248
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author Abigail Emma Russell
Tamsin Ford
Ginny Russell
author_facet Abigail Emma Russell
Tamsin Ford
Ginny Russell
author_sort Abigail Emma Russell
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Background</h4>Children from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are at greater risk of a range of negative outcomes throughout their life course than their peers; however the specific mechanisms by which socioeconomic status relates to different health outcomes in childhood are as yet unclear.<h4>Aims</h4>The current study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic disadvantage in childhood and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and investigates putative mediators of this association in a longitudinal population-based birth cohort in the UK.<h4>Methods</h4>Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children was used (n = 8,132) to explore the relationship between different measures of socioeconomic status at birth-3 years and their association with a diagnosis of ADHD at age 7. A multiple mediation model was utilised to examine factors occurring between these ages that may mediate the association.<h4>Results</h4>Financial difficulties, housing tenure, maternal age at birth of child and marital status were significantly associated with an outcome of ADHD, such that families either living in financial difficulty, living in council housing, with younger or single mothers' were more likely to have a child with a research diagnosis of ADHD at age 7. Financial difficulties was the strongest predictor of ADHD (OR 2.23 95% CI 1.57-3.16). In the multiple mediation model, involvement in parenting at age 6 and presence of adversity at age 2-4 mediated 27.8% of the association.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Socioeconomic disadvantage, conceptualised as reported difficulty in affording basic necessities (e.g. heating, food) has both direct and indirect impacts on a child's risk of ADHD. Lower levels of parent involvement mediates this association, as does presence of adversity; with children exposed to adversity and those with less involved parents being at an increased risk of having ADHD. This study highlights the importance of home and environmental factors as small but important contributors toward the aetiology of ADHD.
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spelling doaj-art-3b6acd74dc2c426487b6ffab8bd4a2f22025-08-20T02:22:44ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-01106e012824810.1371/journal.pone.0128248Socioeconomic Associations with ADHD: Findings from a Mediation Analysis.Abigail Emma RussellTamsin FordGinny Russell<h4>Background</h4>Children from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are at greater risk of a range of negative outcomes throughout their life course than their peers; however the specific mechanisms by which socioeconomic status relates to different health outcomes in childhood are as yet unclear.<h4>Aims</h4>The current study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic disadvantage in childhood and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and investigates putative mediators of this association in a longitudinal population-based birth cohort in the UK.<h4>Methods</h4>Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children was used (n = 8,132) to explore the relationship between different measures of socioeconomic status at birth-3 years and their association with a diagnosis of ADHD at age 7. A multiple mediation model was utilised to examine factors occurring between these ages that may mediate the association.<h4>Results</h4>Financial difficulties, housing tenure, maternal age at birth of child and marital status were significantly associated with an outcome of ADHD, such that families either living in financial difficulty, living in council housing, with younger or single mothers' were more likely to have a child with a research diagnosis of ADHD at age 7. Financial difficulties was the strongest predictor of ADHD (OR 2.23 95% CI 1.57-3.16). In the multiple mediation model, involvement in parenting at age 6 and presence of adversity at age 2-4 mediated 27.8% of the association.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Socioeconomic disadvantage, conceptualised as reported difficulty in affording basic necessities (e.g. heating, food) has both direct and indirect impacts on a child's risk of ADHD. Lower levels of parent involvement mediates this association, as does presence of adversity; with children exposed to adversity and those with less involved parents being at an increased risk of having ADHD. This study highlights the importance of home and environmental factors as small but important contributors toward the aetiology of ADHD.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0128248
spellingShingle Abigail Emma Russell
Tamsin Ford
Ginny Russell
Socioeconomic Associations with ADHD: Findings from a Mediation Analysis.
PLoS ONE
title Socioeconomic Associations with ADHD: Findings from a Mediation Analysis.
title_full Socioeconomic Associations with ADHD: Findings from a Mediation Analysis.
title_fullStr Socioeconomic Associations with ADHD: Findings from a Mediation Analysis.
title_full_unstemmed Socioeconomic Associations with ADHD: Findings from a Mediation Analysis.
title_short Socioeconomic Associations with ADHD: Findings from a Mediation Analysis.
title_sort socioeconomic associations with adhd findings from a mediation analysis
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0128248
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AT tamsinford socioeconomicassociationswithadhdfindingsfromamediationanalysis
AT ginnyrussell socioeconomicassociationswithadhdfindingsfromamediationanalysis